How have you grown in faith and understanding of God’s grace these past few years?
When I entered the congregation as a small child many years back, I was ignorant of God’s grace. To me, God was merely someone who had put trees in the ground and air in my lungs. As I continue my journey in faith I realize now that God is far more then a creator. Due to my studies in confirmation, my faith and understanding in God’s grace has taken a jump start. The book of Psalms, my favorite book of the bible, best expresses God’s grace as a loving, merciful, god who breaks us free of the sins to which we are bound. His grace expands to times of trouble whereby he sends out his light and his truth to prepare us for the journey to his holly hill/dwelling. Through God’s grace he saves us from our foes, puts confusion to those who hate us, condemns those who hate the righteous, and doesn’t condemn those who seek his refuge. The LORD’S grace hears the cries of the troubled and delivers them from their disturbances. He is a great king over all the earth in whom I take refuge. Through his grace, he gives us life and through his salvation, saves our souls.
I have learnt to fear, love, and trust God. I learnt the importance of serving God and giving thanks and praise to him on a daily basis. Foremost though, I have learnt that we should all hear his word and keep it holy, for those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
How am I and how do I intend to use my gifts, talents, and abilities for the ministry of the church?
During the last two years of my confirmation, this congregation has been extremely supportive as I proceed with my development in faith. I would like to show my gratitude by continuing to worship with this congregation. In addition to serving as an acolyte and crucifer I also hope to assist with ushering, greeting, and communion distribution during worship services. And with time, maybe be even serving as an active member of the vestry. During confirmation, my favorite activities were the ones pertaining to service projects to include work camp. Since I come from a family that has a long history of service to the ministry of the church, I am sure that through genetic disposition, I will follow in the footsteps of my family. This is why during my quest to become an active member of the church I will remain to give back to the community in forms of service projects, mentoring peers, assistance to those in need, and comfort to the elderly. Regarding the elderly, Sam, my dog who is well known to many in the neighborhood, and I plan to spend the summer visiting those senior citizens confined to nursing homes.
I believe the church’s mission “As a committed body of Christ, we will gather for worship, grow in faith, evangelize the Gospel, serve others, and care for one another in authentic community,” best describes my future role in the church community.
Why do you wish (or do not wish) to affirm you faith in baptism at this time?
As a growing Lutheran, I am becoming more aware of the importance in affirming my faith. To be totally candid I was not sure I would affirm my faith not due to lingering doubts, but more due to the incomplete understanding of Christianity. It wasn’t until I listened to Bishop Schneider’s recent sermon at our church that I learned it was okay to have doubts. Based on the encouragement of that sermon, I am now more determined than ever to accept the charges that were placed on my parents at the time of my baptism. To this end I understand my role as a Child of God in the Christian community and I am eager to learn more about God and his grace. I feel that I am ready to at this time to take the next step in my journey of faith. To show my commitment, I plan to attend high school youth groups next year to maximize my knowledge about God and the Bible.
What does Jesus mean to me?
If I could understand the trinity concept, father, son, and Holy Spirit, and if I could comprehend how Jesus suffering and dying on the cross forgives us of our sins and provides eternal life, this question would be so much easier to answer. As I grow in belief that Jesus is my true savior, I find that it requires more and more uncompromising faith regarding what I don’t understand. As everyone knows the first article of the Apostle’s Creed refers to God, the father, creator of heaven and earth. The third article of the Apostle’s Creed refers to the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life ever lasting. And of course the second article refers to Jesus Christ who is conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius pilot, was crucified die and was buried. He descended into hell, rose again ascended into heaven seated at the right hand of the father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. In a spiritual realm my faith is certainly strong enough to accept all three articles. However, since I do not totally understand the 3-in-1 concept, I see Jesus as the creator, the forgiver of sins, the provider of life everlasting, and as the unselfish person who suffered on the cross so that all of us might have a chance at eternal life. In a day to day personal realm everybody has their own interpretation of Jesus. To me he is something like a best friend. He is my crutch when I am weak. He listens when no one else will and he is always there to lend an ear. I know I can turn to him to give me strength so I may continue to fight my battles. When I am led into darkness, his light leads me out. He is reassurance to the fact I am loved. He is comfort. Someone to talk to; He is a role model. Someone to look up to; He is someone that everyone should be a little more like because he can teach us so much.
The quality, however, that separates Jesus from the average best friend is the salvation he guarantees to everyone’s soul. He is nonjudgmental but understanding. He pardons us our sins that we commit everyday. Without him our souls would be deeply burdened with the weight of all of our sins. He is always forgiving even though sometimes we think we don’t deserve it.
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